Princess Posey and the First Grade Boys by Stephanie Greene (review)

First grade continues to offer up its challenges to young Posey (Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade, BCCB 6/10, etc.), and this time the trial comes in the antics of the opposite sex, namely classmate Henry, whose snooty know-it-all attitude gets under Posey’s skin. She makes up a little chant about how weird Henry is and proceeds to sing it on the playground, but she’s horrified when her teacher catches her and accuses her of being a bully. She’s even more upset when her mother and grandfather don’t quite see how she’s the real victim here, and she promptly spends the next few days pouting in her room. Greene proves herself yet again to be an adept chronicler of the ups and downs of the first year of school, and her simple, straightforward prose gives just the right amount of emotional heft to these mini-dramas, neither exaggerating nor reducing Posey’s situation. There’s a disappointing drift toward gender stereotyping in Posey’s struggle with math and Henry’s love of science, but Greene moves quite smoothly from a story about boys versus girls to one of Posey working through some tough emotions and coming to terms with her own bad behavior. Posey continues to be a winning protagonist, and her escapades are a series worth having on hand.